Gospel of 18 April 2023
John 3:7-15
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
'Do not be surprised when I say: You must be born from above. The wind blows wherever it pleases; you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. That is how it is with all who are born of the Spirit.'
'How can that be possible?' asked Nicodemus. 'You, a teacher in Israel, and you do not know these things!' replied Jesus.
'I tell you most solemnly, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence. If you do not believe me when I speak about things in this world, how are you going to believe me when I speak to you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven; and the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.'
Reflection on the engraving
Let us first briefly look at the Old Testament story to which Jesus is referring. During the 40-year wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness, at some point the people grew impatient and frustrated. They started speaking out against God and Moses. So 'the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people" (Numbers 21:6). Many were bitten and died. Regretting that they had spoken out against God and repentant of their sins, the people went to Moses to ask for help. He prayed for them, and the Lord provided a way for the people to be protected. God instructed Moses to make "a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole" (Numbers 21:8). Those who had been bitten would live if they simply looked at the brass serpent and repented.
That is the scene depicted here in our 17th-century engraving. We see snakes coming in from the heavens in the top right corner. We witness people who have died from snake bites, others still struggling with the snakes, and a group of people on the left behind Moses looking at the brass snake, and being healed. Interestingly enough, the artist, well familiar with the Old Testament story and its link to the New Testament, has already depicted the brass serpent in the shape of a cross….
'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus it behoves the Son of Man to be lifted up'. Jesus quotes the story of Moses to Nicodemus in today's reading, to foreshadow his own act of salvation through being lifted up on the cross. People who will gaze at the cross will also be healed….
LINKS
Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-3-7-15-2023/
Moses produces the brazen serpent, After the original painting by Ferraù Fenzoni, Engraving on paper © Wellcome Collection